my favorite year is evidenced by the overall vibe and commitment on parade here. the audio is not as fabulous as the singing and playing warrant, but hey how could it be when this is inexorably one of the most stellar live performances ever recorded by the good ol grateful dead...but remains under the radar except for the cognescenti. if you eq the ever-lovin' bottom way way up and keep the mids and highs at bay, this has the quintessence of the band somehow captured in perpetuity, amen sisters and brothers, this is the best show i've ever heard...

Note for note, this night and the previous might have the edge on 2/13 -2/14/70, which is saying something I suppose. Unfortunately there are some cuts here and there. The worst, probably, is at the beginning of the Cryptical Outro, which plays here like being shot in the head with a DMT bullet. Good grief.
The late show versions of Mama Tried, Big Boss Man (some mixing issues at the beginning), Black Peter (!!) and Dire Wolf are extraordinary.
Phil is a tad low in this mix for my taste (may be endemic to the source material ... I haven't checked all the other copies on the Archive).

First: Music is great here and the band is very fluid. Almost like when I am walking around and just whistling like a fool.
Second: Origins of Mason's Children explained before they play the tune (also tight version!)
This is of interest to me because I was in a PUBLIX parking lot many years after Garcia passed and I see this vehicle with tons of Grateful Dead stickers so against all wisdom I start a conversation with the brother.
Somehow, we get on the topic of Mason's Children. To which he proceeds to tell me the song is for the devil. I am like O.K. see ya later! But it stuck with me like a bad car crash.
So here we get the real story and I am glad. There are not many versions of this tune and I like the uniqueness of the song. It is different then most tunes they wrote from the era.
The actual origins of the song as the band tells the Fillmore crowd are rather mundane. But I did find some cosmic humor in that it was written for a scene in a movie in a parking lot.
"Bigger than a drive-in movie, for real"

Very sweet! Like a lot of early '70 shows it starts off kinda shakey, but these jams are tremendous!

It was great, but the late show was even better. They played until 7:30AM and no one wanted it to end!! To this day, I have seen many concerts and many artists in a huge variety of genres. That late show was the best show I ever saw. People huddled in little groups outside the Fillmore as it grew light and began to snow. No one wanted to leave. All you could hear was whispering, "best show I ever saw, best show ever". I congratulated Jerry and the entire band as they left through the front lobby to go across 2nd Avenue. They were so tired but so happy. It was pure bliss.

A truly beautiful all around show, putting all on notice that 1970 was to be a watershed year for the boys. The jams, the jams abound here!! A personal favorite.

A bus came by and I got on. This was my 1st Dead show. Living in Hartford Ct. I was walking down the street and a couple of high school friends came by in a battered old ford van, stopped and I got in. They were just then headed to NYC to see the Dead( and mostly thought I was good for some gas money).

Note to self:
Don't ever be down... just turn on this 'midnite hour" ... I'm telling you Einstein... this one will never fail ... Remember it is me telling you not to forget this one
p.s. mix ratio: 1:3 (cotton candy bud : Sugar shake...with a little bit of purple kush thrown in for color .... good combo ....

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Super 70' Soundboard!
Five Pigpen songs, always gets five stars.
The original GRATEFUL DEAD perform live in NYC at the Fillmore East.
I highly recommend adding this show to your 1970 GRATEFUL DEAD collection.
Still not interested in being a "commercial" success, the GRATEFUL DEAD perform their cult classics before a NYC Fillmore East crowd.
If you ain't usin' a Mac, here's one way to download this show:
The IA recommends users of Windows XP view this web-page with RealPlayer. RealPlayer is a free media player you can download at www.realplayer.com.
For easy streaming or downloading use RealPlayer. Click the VBR M3U link to open the songs in the Playlist. If your Playlist is not open, open it by clicking the Playlist icon at the lower right hand corner of RealPlayer. Once the songs are in the Playlist, double click the song to play it, then click the record button at the lower left hand corner of Realplayer to record it. When the red line reaches the other end click the stop button to download the song. Your song is in the RealPlayer Downloads folder. Repeat these steps for each song.
Eat, Drink, Be Merry and Listen to the GRATEFUL DEAD.
Thanks for the Love from 1970.

I know it's crappy to nit-pick, but it's TC on organ Dr. Flashback. He split the night before the band got busted in New Orleans later that month. His flourishes are distinct. Adios TC, you were great with some songs.

Both the previous nights show and this one are excellent. This one may be a wee bit tighter but is without a Darkstar, oh well. It's magnificent, five star all the way. BTW the jam after drums is outstanding and contains China Cat and We Bid You Goodnight teases before transitioning back into Alligator and then Feedback, way cool.

A true jem.

This show gives me goosebumps...toppp notch performance every song is incredible, everyone was on!! Theres something about the jam in the beginning of masons children that is truly special probably because pig is nailing it on the harmonica ..the list goes on and on...absolutely awesome

Silly good...not for the time...for the tech.
Happy

The SBD is still available for download at deadbots.com. It sounds very good for the time period. Good singing and playing.

this show is ridiculously good
cannot even begin to start how how this is
other one is for the ages....

and now I have it. Had the late show for quite a while and love it. The Alligator in the Early Show is great though. There's a lot of theme changes going on here so it's a blast trying to figure out where Jerry's taking them.
Nice scary Feedback too. The UJB starts out rough but comes together nicely
Thanks to everybody who participates in this project. FIVE STARS to you guys.
There's so much music here it's amazing... and all you Heads... start checking out some of the other bands too. (eg: Hayseed Dixies)

Wow was I glad to finally get this in digital SHN!
A knockout show all the way through. Although the previous night is great, this is my favorite, even without a Dark Star. The song list is just hard to beat. Any show that opens with Morning Dew is gonna be heavy!
Picture this - it's Jan 3rd, in New York. Cold!!
And you're from California. But the band clearly transcends the weather and delivers a high energy show. The first set belongs to Pigpen - great versions of HTH and Alligator.
Set Two is all fine, but beginning with The Other One, they pull out all the stops. It's driving rain and thunder, flashes of sparks and also cosmic fog after the rain. Pig's organ is really in the mix, too! Cosmic Charlie is HOT, as is the Uncle John into Black Peter sublime - Jerry sings it like it's his last time. And the Good Lovin will toast whatever is left of your mind to a crisp! Even the Midnight Hour, usually a little rough, is funky enough here to be enjoyable.
Get both nights, but this one is the topper!
Dr. Flashback ;-)